Sunday, January 30, 2011

Question: What is the way for us to guage the effect of the da'wah to resume the Islamic way of life? Is it by looking at how many people we have, how many people attend our events or demonstrations, what people are talking about in society? Can you please clarify what criterion we should use to judge this.

Answer: It is incorrect to guage the effect of the da'wah from the number of people that are in a group or attend their events or demonstrations. Although a group requires people to be part of it and requires a popular base of supporters, however numbers are not an accurate measure when judging the impact of the da'wah to resume the Islamic way of life.

Sheikh Taqiuddin an-Nabhani wrote in Concepts of Hizb ut-Tahrir:

“Those who carry the da’wah should not assess the da’wah by their number. Such assessment is absolutely wrong and harmful to the da’wah because it distracts the da’wah carriers from focusing on the society to focusing on the individuals. This will cause the da’wah to slowdown and perhaps cause failure in that place. The reason behind this is that society is not composed of individuals as many people think. Rather the individuals are parts of the group (community). What bonds the individuals in the society are other components such as their thoughts, emotions and systems. The da’wah is carried in order to change the thoughts, emotions and systems. It is collective da’wah and a da’wah taken to the society and not to the individuals. Reforming the individuals is only to make them become part of a group (bloc) that carries the da’wah to the society. Therefore those who carry the da’wah and have a deep understanding of its nature rely on society to carry the da’wah to it.”

“Although, the transformation of society from one state to the opposite state cannot be noticed just like the transformation of the water in the kettle is not noticed, those who are aware of societies and have confidence that the ideology which they carry is the fire and light which will burn and enlighten, know that society is in a state of transformation and it will definitely reach boiling point and the points of movement and dynamism. Therefore, they give attention to societies (and not number of individuals).”

This is further elaborated in the adopted booklet 'The Departure Point' published by Hizb ut-Tahrir in 1954 that sheds light on this topic:

"22- The method of gauging the thoughts and the sensations of society is very simple. It would be by way of monitoring the effect that political events evoke the thoughts. In other words, did these political events evoke thoughts, or did they merely confirm the old thoughts? It would also be by way of monitoring the effect that the political events on the emotions. In other words, did they evoke new emotions, or did they merely confirm the old emotions. What is meant by emotions here is what is felt in terms of happiness, sadness, pleasure and anger due to the new thoughts and emotions or due to the confirmed old thoughts and emotions.

As for the existing thoughts and emotions, these could be gauged by monitoring the matters which the masses talk about and by monitoring their evoked emotions; for instance, the Muslims’ talk nowadays about the co-operatives and the public companies, instead of talking about the companies of “Inan” or the companies of “Mudharabah”; or their anger for their nationalism instead of their anger for the sanctities of Islam.

Hence, according to this criterion the registering of the thoughts and the sensations takes place. It would be imperative to attend to observing all people, intellectuals and others alike, because the thoughts and the sensations are one in the one society.

23- Gauging the thoughts and the emotions of society would be in order to treat them by way of attacking the erroneous thoughts, highlighting their falsehood and transforming the emotions of joy from what the Muslim should not be happy about to what the Muslim should be happy about, and the emotions of anger from what the Muslim should not feel angry about to what the Muslim should feel angry about. Hence, it would be imperative to attend to recognising the reactions which the events and the thoughts cause. In other words, recognising people’s reaction to the thoughts and events. Did they cause any reaction or not? If they did, this would indicate that they have approved of them, hence, it would be imperative to demonstrate the falsehood of the thoughts and to transform the emotions. If they did not cause any reaction, it would be pointless to give them any attention because it would be then a waste of time.

24- Since the cornerstone in the tackling of thoughts and emotions is the changing of the concepts, it would be imperative to recognise the reaction that occurs when the process of changing the concepts is taking place. In other words, did the party’s endeavour to changing people’s erroneous concepts provoke any reaction form them and any effect upon them or not? If it did trigger a reaction and an effect, this would indicate that the thoughts which the party had conveyed did generate in them a host of concepts; it would also indicate that their taking of the thoughts was in reality a changing of the concept. However, if they did not provoke any reaction from them despite their understanding of the party’s thoughts, this would indicate that what occurred was that people merely received information, but no changing of concepts took place.

25- Since it is the party that tackles the thoughts and the emotions of society with the thoughts that it has adopted, it would therefore be imperative for it to attend to recognising the inclinations people have towards the thoughts of the party and towards the party itself. In other words, do people approve of the thoughts of the party or do they dislike them? Do they like the party itself or do they hate it? Or do they neither like nor hate it, and do they treat it with disregard and indifference?

26- It would be necessary for the party to recognise the thoughts and the sensations of society when addressing society, so that it could direct its attention to the thoughts, so that it recognised the thoughts which should be conveyed at the appropriate time. It should be however recognised that the attending to the thoughts is merely one part of the party’s activity, because the party should first of all endeavour to change the method of thinking people have, secondly, to change the intellectual base upon which people build their thoughts, thirdly to change their thoughts they carry and fourth to link all the thoughts which they encounter in life to their intellectual base. Hence, it would become easy for the party to change the thoughts and it would become easy for it to ensure that people themselves will have started to change their thoughts and to link them to their intellectual base. Consequently, the party would ensure the transfer of the Ummah and the radical transformative stage would be achieved.

27- The transfer of the Islamic Ummah from the wretched situation she is in to a better situation would depend on the success of the radical transformative stage. It would be also dependent on the existence of the Islamic thoughts in people’s minds, because man’s concepts about life emanate from the basic thoughts he carries, and he is affected by the extrinsic thoughts. Hence, the party should exhaust a great effort in order to generate the basic thoughts and to remove the extrinsic thoughts. However, it should be made absolutely clear that the presence of the thoughts in people’s minds would not be sufficient for the transfer of the Ummah from one situation to another. The thoughts should rather be established in the individuals and the groups in a manner that gives them deep-rootedness and concentration and generate for them the power and the influence, in order to trigger the sweeping transformation, hence the transformation and the transfer would occur in the Ummah.

28- It is noted that in society in the Muslims’ lands that the basic thoughts about life are capitalist and democratic thoughts. However these thoughts are shaky and not firmly established due to the fact that people’s Aqeedah is the Islamic Aqeedah. When people adopted these thoughts they took them as such not in a doctrinal manner, and they had been cheated by those who gave them these thoughts, by telling them that they did not contradict their Aqeedah, but rather in conformity with their Aqeedah. Hence we find that these thoughts are not concentrated in their minds, even if their conducts proceed according to these thoughts. Once they become convinced that they contradict their Aqeedah, they would soon abandon them and return to their Islamic thoughts, and this people’s return would mark the transformation in society."

Therefore if in a place an Islamic group held events where hundreds of thousands of people attended or demonstrated yet the dominant thoughts in that society were democratic and secular evidenced by the peoples reaction to political events then that group would not have had a significant effect. Yet if a group was small in number but due to its focussed activity the dominant thoughts in a society changed such that the people say for example started to call for the Islamic Khilafah instead of democracy, that would be a significant effect of the da'wah.

The streets of Cairo resound with huge protests by the people against the oppression and tyranny of the Egyptian regime. A regime that silenced the people through force and repression, and put terror in their hearts through imprisonment and severe torture. This oppressive regime betrayed the core issues of the Ummah: it raised the flag of the ‘Israel’ in Egypt, sold its authority and sovereignty over the Sinai, blockaded the Muslims in Gaza, and committed many like major sins without having any shame or fear of Allah, His Messenger (saw) or the believers.

This regime spread corruption in the land and sold the country to the enemies of Allah, making it a playfield for America and ‘Israel’ such that they pillaged its resources and divided them with the president of the regime, his entourage, henchmen and followers. They lived decadent lives whilst the people lived in destitute poverty, extreme hunger, and faced obscene prices for basic commodities.

In all of this the regime was content with its power, the cruelty of its henchmen, and its ruling party’s policies to lead people astray. It was content with this cruelty, oppression and misguidance, thinking that the people will never raise their voice, or move against it. It forgot that oppression and subjugation eventually leads to an eruption and that the deeds of the transgressor come back to haunt him!

Tunisia exploded with growing popular protests, followed by Yemen and Jordon, and here now is Egypt...and it seems that the rest of the Muslim lands will follow suit! Inspite of all this, the leaders of the regime did not desist, nor pay heed. Nay, they did not even use their minds! They sought a solution, asking here and there, till Mubarak contacted Obama. The two had a long conversation in which Obama advised, nay ordered, Mubarak to discharge the government so he did so, and put in its place another government and a vice-president, after not having appointed one over thirty long years! He appointed Omar Suleiman, head of the Egyptian Intelligence, as Vice-President and Ahmed Shafik as Prime Minister. He thought that by implementing the order of America he would save his throne with his crooked pillars. He did not understand that America will sell him for a cheap price and place another agent in his place if the matter becomes more severe!

Indeed these rulers have eyes with which they do not see, ears with which they do not hear, and hearts with which they do not reflect. This is why they trample all over the people whilst wanting them to remain silent. This is why they relegate and ignore Islam whilst wanting the Muslims to not revolt. This is why they ally themselves with the disbelieving colonialists whilst wanting that the people of Truth make no noise.

O Rulers, O Oppressors...The people are Muslims. No oppressive, transgressing ruler will be firmly established amongst them so long as they are not ruled by their Islam, and so long as they are not allied with Allah, His Messenger (saw) and the believers, instead of being allied with the disbelieving colonialists. Even if they are silent for a period, the tongue of their state speaks out in the words of the poet: The eyelid of honour has not fallen asleep / It is naught but the calm of the lion before his charge.

Indeed Egypt was liberated by the blood of the Mujahideen, and that blood will never go to waste. Nay, the land of Egypt will return as honourable and powerful with Islam, trampling over the oppressors. Even if the world blooms for the oppressor one day, Allah, the all-Powerful, will deal him a mortal blow on another day in which he deems himself invincible. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Verily Allah affords the oppressor some time, until when He takes hold of him, He does not let him go.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

O Muslims, O Beloved People of Egypt,

The head of the regime intends to deceive you. He paints the problem as being in the government, whilst he knows, and you know, that the government cannot endorse any matter without his approval. He paints the problem as being in the ruling party whilst he knows that the ruling party is no more than a collection of venal mercenaries who see in the party a means to usurp wealth through corruption and bribery. Nothing brings them together except ease of acquiring selfish interests through prohibited means. Thus if they see that the party becomes a means for loss they immediately disperse. You see now in front of your very eyes the government and the ruling party, with all their members who were counted as being in the millions, having no influence whatsoever in front of the people who have spoken out against oppression and the oppressors!

O Muslims, O Beloved People of Egypt,

Indeed the head of the serpent is the system itself, so do not preoccupy yourselves with its tail. Do not be deceived by the announcement of the new security government whilst the system remains as it is. The disease is the system itself, in its being secular and being allied with the head of kufr, America. America at present is observing and assessing the situation of the regime in Egypt. It is affording the regime some time to act and quell the protests. Thus the regime has adopted certain styles: sending its henchmen to be amongst the people of the uprising and to loot, burn and pillage, in order to give its new security government a justification to force the people back off the streets on grounds of restoring security, whilst having themselves caused the chaos!

If the regime is not able to quell the uprising through its new security government, and America sees that her agent has lost control, she will seek to place another agent in his place. And with the appointment of Omar Suleiman as the vice to Mubarak, she has already prepared the new agent in the given opportunity!

O Muslims, O Beloved People of Egypt,

You must be aware of what is occurring, so that you do not become like the one who seeks protection from extreme heat by means of fire! Know that this matter of yours will not be corrected except by that which corrected it (for your forefathers) in the first instance: ruling by what Allah has revealed, and Jihad in the path of Allah. So do stop your uprising until the system itself is changed from top to bottom, and establish in its place the state of Islam, the Khilafah Rashidah, a deed by which you will be honoured and successful in this world and the hereafter.

O Muslims, O Beloved People of Egypt,

Who is better than Egypt, the land of al-Kinanah, for the establishment of the Khilafah? Who is better than the Egypt of Salahuddin for the liberation of Palestine from the Jews, just as the Egypt of Salahuddin liberated it from the Crusaders? Who is better than the Egypt of Kinanah for whose Copts the Messenger of Allah (s) instructed good treatment saying, “For them shall be mercy”? Who is better than Egypt for the return of the civilisation and justice of Islam and noble life for both its Muslims and Copts? Who is better than Egypt to be the capital of the Khilafah, the capital of the World, overseeing the people’s affairs with justice and encompassing the world with sincerity, liberating lands and spreading good throughout the world?

O Muslims, O Beloved People of Egypt,

Hizb ut-Tahrir warns you about the deception of the regime, which seeks to preoccupy you with small matters, and to make you forget that the disease is the system itself, and that loyalty to America is a violent death. So trample over both of them, you shall find true success. Establish the Khilafah Rashidah, you shall be revived. Do not fear the power of the oppressors for they are truly weak compared to Allah (swt), and He, the Powerful and Mighty, is not unaware of them.

{وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ }

“Deem not that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do…” (Ibrahim: 42)

O Muslims, O Beloved People of Egypt,

Hizb ut-Tahrir advises you not to forsake the pure blood of your sons which has been shed in this blessed uprising. It warns you from being led astray by those parties who have entered the fray intending to exploit that pure blood for their own evil objectives. If you are led astray you will end up taking shade under trees that you did not plant, and picking fruits that you did not seek to ripen.

Stand in the face of these people. Do not be content with the substitution of one agent for another. Uproot the influence of America in Egypt. By this, the pure blood of your sons will remember you with good, you would have paid its due, and gained the pleasure of Allah, His Messenger (saw) and the believers.

Do not be deceived by the cutting of the serpent’s tail whilst it head remains, no matter how that head is decorated. Allah is with you, and He will never let your good deeds go to waste.

{هَذَا بَلَاغٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنْذَرُوا بِهِ}“This is a clear message for people, so let them take warning therefrom...” (Ibrahim: 52)

This includes questions & comments by users and the site administrators. Inshallah we will be responding to queries more quickly now. We also request brothers and sisters with knowledge to reply to questions and contribute to the discussion.

The American Embassy in Cairo helped a young dissident attend a US-sponsored summit for activists in New York, while working to keep his identity secret from Egyptian state police.

On his return to Cairo in December 2008, the activist told US diplomats that an alliance of opposition groups had drawn up a plan to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak and install a democratic government in 2011.

He has already been arrested by Egyptian security in connection with the demonstrations and his identity is being protected by The Daily Telegraph.

The crisis in Egypt follows the toppling of Tunisian president Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, who fled the country after widespread protests forced him from office.

The disclosures, contained in previously secret US diplomatic dispatches released by the WikiLeaks website, show American officials pressed the Egyptian government to release other dissidents who had been detained by the police.

Mr Mubarak, facing the biggest challenge to his authority in his 31 years in power, ordered the army on to the streets of Cairo yesterday as rioting erupted across Egypt.

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets in open defiance of a curfew. An explosion rocked the centre of Cairo as thousands defied orders to return to their homes. As the violence escalated, flames could be seen near the headquarters of the governing National Democratic Party.
Police fired rubber bullets and used tear gas and water cannon in an attempt to disperse the crowds.
At least five people were killed in Cairo alone yesterday and 870 injured, several with bullet wounds. Mohamed ElBaradei, the pro-reform leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was placed under house arrest after returning to Egypt to join the dissidents. Riots also took place in Suez, Alexandria and other major cities across the country.

In an interview for the American news channel CNN, to be broadcast tomorrow, David Cameron said: “I think what we need is reform in Egypt. I mean, we support reform and progress in the greater strengthening of the democracy and civil rights and the rule of law.”

The US government has previously been a supporter of Mr Mubarak’s regime. But the leaked documents show the extent to which America was offering support to pro-democracy activists in Egypt while publicly praising Mr Mubarak as an important ally in the Middle East.

In a secret diplomatic dispatch, sent on December 30 2008, Margaret Scobey, the US Ambassador to Cairo, recorded that opposition groups had allegedly drawn up secret plans for “regime change” to take place before elections, scheduled for September this year.

The memo, which Ambassador Scobey sent to the US Secretary of State in Washington DC, was marked “confidential” and headed: “April 6 activist on his US visit and regime change in Egypt.”

It said the activist claimed “several opposition forces” had “agreed to support an unwritten plan for a transition to a parliamentary democracy, involving a weakened presidency and an empowered prime minister and parliament, before the scheduled 2011 presidential elections”. The embassy’s source said the plan was “so sensitive it cannot be written down”.

Ambassador Scobey questioned whether such an “unrealistic” plot could work, or ever even existed. However, the documents showed that the activist had been approached by US diplomats and received extensive support for his pro-democracy campaign from officials in Washington. The embassy helped the campaigner attend a “summit” for youth activists in New York, which was organised by the US State Department.

Cairo embassy officials warned Washington that the activist’s identity must be kept secret because he could face “retribution” when he returned to Egypt. He had already allegedly been tortured for three days by Egyptian state security after he was arrested for taking part in a protest some years earlier.

The protests in Egypt are being driven by the April 6 youth movement, a group on Facebook that has attracted mainly young and educated members opposed to Mr Mubarak. The group has about 70,000 members and uses social networking sites to orchestrate protests and report on their activities.

The documents released by WikiLeaks reveal US Embassy officials were in regular contact with the activist throughout 2008 and 2009, considering him one of their most reliable sources for information about human rights abuses.

Monday, January 24, 2011

For the one who aims to build and develop the personality it is important to treat everyone according to their level. Therefore, to apply a method of personality development that has achieved results in places where the hadhara (culture) is deep rooted and where the inclinations for the deen are ingrained in the people and apply the same process upon others brought up surrounded by disbelief and detached from their aqeeda is a mistake and would not achieve the correct development of the personality. This does not mean that the culture that is studied should be different, as the curriculum of study would set the basis for the mentality and the disposition, this is necessary in all cases.

However, those responsible for the development such as those amongst the da'wa carriers need to appreciate that those born into societies which have been shaped by disbelief and consequently have little Islamic knowledge, are riddled with negative traits and inclinations and thus require much more treatment, especially of the disposition (nafsiya). Many who are brought up in our lands despite not having many .of the correct concepts would already have many of the correct Islamic inclinations such as less individualism and the feeling of responsibility towards the family as is evidenced by people working long hours in difficult conditions in order to look after even their distant relatives. The positive inclinations such as respect towards ones parents, love of the Prophet (saw), giving of sadaqa, good treatment of the guests, modesty of women and hatred of khamr are other examples of what is common in many people in our societies.

Further to this, those who are attracted to the call in those lands where oppression and suppression is the norm - tend to be those who already have some Islamic background and often have much more developed inclinations and often even good foundational concepts even before formally beginning their study of the ideological culture. It is common to see amongst them many of the good morals such as honesty and humility, good sentiments such as the love of the ummah and good qualities such as the regular recitation of the Quran and a personal relationship between them and their lord developed by their regular performance of the salah, dua and zikr. Often they also have knowledge regarding various aspects of the deen including aqeeda, seerah, aspects of fiqh, etc - even if these are carried without clarity. Therefore when they study the correct concepts in a systematic manner their personalities are moulded and enhanced quickly, the inconsistencies in their aqliya and nafsiya are removed by the linkage to the singular basis of the aqeeda.

The reality of people especially those brought up surrounded by disbelief is clearly different. Whilst there is a minority who may be similar to those in our lands due to their attachment to the deen, this pool of people is small and would be the obvious starting point for those working for revivaL However, the majority of people are clearly far away from the deen and both in their aqliya- and nafsiya. -It is true that many-from-amongst-them-have-some~ attachment to the deen, children learn from a young age how to recite the Quran and attend the masaajid, they fast in ramadhan - however when we look at their personalities especially of the youth there is a wide difference between them and those attracted to the work to resume the Islamic way of life in our lands. Their minds are full of popular culture from celebrities and sports personalities to music and pornography. Pride, arrogance, love of wealth, lying, deception, cheating, following ones lust, individualism are some of characteristics that are commonplace. Their actions resemble the disbelievers as many commit zina, take intoxicants including alcohol and drugs, lie, slander, backbite, use foul language etc. Therefore although the spark of change can be implanted in some who then wish to reform their personalities, great attention must be paid to filling their minds with the knowledge of the deen, removing this corruption in their nafsiya and moulding the correct inclinations. For those who long to achieve this the best example can be found in the manner in which Rasoolullah (saw) transformed people from jahiliyya into the most refined personalities described by Allah:

"The vanguard (of Islam), the first of those who forsook (their homes) and of those who gave them aid, and (also) those who follow them in all good deeds, well-pleased is Allah with them as are they with Him," [TMQ 9:100]

Failure to pay attention to this leads to the development of abnormal personalities. It leads to a type of split personality or fake personality which superficially seems to be Islamic but below the service is devoid of spirit. There are cases of individuals who are developed intellectually in the sense of being able to prove the aqeeda, understand the meaning of ideology, society, thought etc and even possess good political awareness yet at the same time have a weak relationship with their creator, are not able to recite the Quran properly and have not read its translation, are unaware of the lives of most of the Prophets the stories of whom the Quran is filled with, are rebellious to their parents in a manner that would anger Allah and care more about following the political events then connecting with their Lord in Salah which has been described by the Messenger (saw) as, "The Mi'raj (ascension) of the believer."

In time their activity depletes and they fall out of the work, overtaken by life. Occasionally their violation of the shar'a rules is noticed especially to those who closest to them such as their wives/husbands and family members. They are usually able to hide their behaviour in public. Many of them feel guilty for this as they know in their heart that there is a contradiction in their behaviour and inclinations to the concepts they have studied, therefore they are not real hypocrites in the sense of disbelief however they are hypocrites of the second type, who have hypocrisy in their behaviour.

There are others who are initially enthused and active in propagation, who also make their own effort to study aspects of the deen often related to increasing their ability to convince others, reply to questions and answer arguments yet in time they burn out, feeling a spiritual void. Some of them even begin to resent the work and yearn to fill the spiritual vacuum they feel and turn their back on the work seeing it is a type of political manipulation rather than the work of the Prophets.

Someone may say that concepts control actions so therefore how can they feel a contradiction between their behaviour and concepts? This is due to viewing things simplistically. For it is important to appreciate that man holds a variety of concepts and especially in the case of a transitional personality it is common for him to hold multiple reference points initially. The fact that he believes in the creator and the truth of the Quran does not automatically nullify the influence of the criterion of benefit that he has been following for years. Concepts can be easily taken in the third person sense, even value judgements so he could study the categories of ahkam shariah yet not refer to them. It is easier to change someone's husn and qubh concepts regarding life than their personal criterion for determining khair and shar. As the first are impersonal external judgements regarding actions whilst the other are a persons actual motivations. Thus once someone adopts the aqeeda, he possesses the correct basis, however this does not mean that automatically his entire behaviour would become in accordance to it. For this to occur it requires constant linkage of the aqeeda to the various actions and inclinations, this is a gradual process which is in fact the process of culturing that the Prophet (saw) went through with the companions. The example of Umar ibn al-Khattab demonstrates this when the Messenger said to him that he should love him more than his wealth, his family and even himself.

The Prophet (saw) said: "No one of you has true Iman unless his inclinations are in accordance with what I brought".

We should take heed in the ahadith about the heart.

The Prophet (saw) is reported to have said: “It is only called the qalb (heart) because of how it can change. The similitude of the heart is like a leaf hanging by the trunk of a tree that is being blown upside down by the wind.” [Ahmad, it is hasan according to al-Iraqi]

The Prophet (saw) used to say often: “O changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon your religion (deen).” The companions said, “O Messenger of Allah, we believed in you and what you have brought. Do you fear for us?” He answered, “Yes, verily, the hearts are between Allah’s fingers and he turns them any way he wills.” [Tirmidhi, sahih according to Albani]

If care is not taken to ensure that the individuals adopts the belief in the true sense affecting not only his mind but his heart such that its rust is removed then this form of hypocrisy will inevitably exist where someone externally seems like an ideological Islamic personality but in reality is still a mixed personality but with a stronger Islamic mentality.

Abdullah ibn Umar narrated, "Allah's Messenger (saw) said, "These hearts become rusty just as iron does when water affects it.' On being asked what could clear them he replied, 'A great amount of remembrance of death and recitation of the Qur'an.'" [Al-Tirmidhi, 673]

This hadith sheds light on the manner of linking the aqeeda in order to purify the nafisya, it requires triggering the instincts such that the aqeeda and the concepts emanating from it are taken in the personal sense truly affecting the individual. This is what was embodied in the training of the companions, the theme of the Surah's revealed in Makkah clearly demonstrate this. The powerful verses repeatedly highlight the weakness of man in front of his Lord, the inevitability of death, the terror of the day of judgement, the greatness of the Lord of the Universe, the example of previous generations and Prophets, etc. It is clear that the theme of the Makkan Surah's is to strengthen the personality of the believers as well as exposing the be1iefs, practises and traditions of the disbelievers. Looking at the verses more focussed on the believers the particular emphasis on issues related to the nafsiya becomes apparent containing repeated emphasis triggering the fear and veneration of Allah. The powerful verses strike the emotions, touch the heart and bring tears to the eye.

If a da'wa carrier has a problem with the idea that his carrying of the call may lead him to be brought to tears due to the fear of Allah in front of his students, companions or in public then his idea of culturing is far away from that of our beloved Messenger and maybe more akin to the intellectualisation of the communists or philosophers. The example of Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) and his recitation of the Quran should suffice The Prophet (saw) said “Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in the prayer." 'Aisha said, "Abu Bakr is a soft-hearted man and he would be over-powered by his weeping."

It is also reported that the Prophet (saw) said:

“The one who remembers Allah and his tears flow from the fear of Allah, until his tears fall on the ground he will not be punished on the Day of Judgment.” [Reported al-Haakim who declared it sound and az-Zahabi agreed with him on this].

What gave Bilal ibn Rab'ah whose lineage was unknown amongst a people who prided themselves on their lineage, who was a foreigner in a racist society, one whose Arabic wasn't pure in a nation in which purity of language was of importance, who did not own property and in fact was himself property due to being a slave - what made him so strong and confident of his belief to stand up to his slave master Umayah and endure the punishment and to remain constant after that as a da'wa carrier at the side of the Prophet? He then went onto to become the first Mu'azzin, one of the fighters of Badr and eventually the governor ofIraq at the time of Umar. Surely it wasn't his level of political information or the ability to analyse political events.

If someone is reluctant in looking to the manner in which the best of creation cultured the companions in Makkah then they have been blinded. It is true that today we are dealing with existing believers whereas as the Messenger (saw) converted people to the deen and then developed their personality, however the reality of building and developing the personality is the same. The texts mention that the revival today will come on the path of Prophethood and therefore the preparation of the da'wa carriers who strive for revival needs to be based upon the Prophetic model.

In his book 'The Essential Elements of the Islamic Nafsiyya' written under the guidance of Sheikh Ata Abu Rashta it states:

"We should not miss the opportunity of reminding the Da’wah carriers, especially those who are working to resume the Islamic way of life by establishing the Righteous Khilafah state, of the reality in which they work. They are surrounded by the clashing waves of the enemies of Allah. If they are not with Allah by day and by night, how then can they drive their way in the different walks of life? How can they reach their desired aim? How can they elevate higher and higher? How? How?

Finally, the Da’wah carriers should reflect on two enlightening hadiths which will light up their path so that they achieve their objectives and quicken their steps:

“The beginning of your Deen was Prophethood and mercy and then it was Khilafah on the way of the Prophethood…then the Khilafah will return on the way of the Prophethood.” This hadith contains the good news of the return of the Khilafah by Allah’s leave. But it will return like the very first Khilafah; the Khilafah of the righteous ones, the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw). Whosoever is eager to see its return and yearns to witness it then let him strive for it as a believer so that he is like the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw). "

It is not enough to simply emphasise the reading of texts or books related to building the nafisya, as one can read through them as a chore or listen to them in a manner that he is used to listening the Friday sermon - in a way that is almost monotonous having little or no impact on the heart. Rather, those who actually possess the required qualities must be the ones who inculcate these qualities in others for it is difficult for the one who does not possess them to do so, if he were to achieve that it would be more by chance and the individual effort of the student rather than his own. For example, how can someone who is arrogant teach someone to be humble? Or someone who doesn't really have the love of Allah and His Messenger nurture that love in others? Someone who is two-faced make another a transparent person with pure sincerity?

Putting aside the philosophical errors of the Sufis, this is what the classical Tasawuf masters like al-Ghazali intended to impart. Their literature is useful, as it is intended to aid in the development of the nafsiya. After tasting the sweetness of Iman and feeling the love of Allah and His Messenger they aimed to inculcate that in others. It is for this reason we find them all referring to the following hadith, it is one that make us think whether we have achieved what is mentioned in it:

"I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper (walî) of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined (frD) upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing nawâfil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My protection (Refuge), I will protect him; (i.e. give him My Refuge) and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death, and I hate to disappoint him." [Reported by at-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer]

The development of others is also aided by the atmosphere that surrounds them as is indicated by various ahadith. Therefore the atmosphere amongst the da'wa carriers can aid in the process of development such that when a student begins his study and activity he would feel in others the true Islamic qualities. He would be immersed in the atmosphere of knowledge where ayat and ahadith are discussed as well as aqeeda, fiqh, politics, economics, seerah, Arabic language and tafseer as well as one in which people undertake the mandubat such as the salah in the jama'ah, giving of gifts, being good to the neighbours, giving of sadaqa, the frequent recitation of the Quran, visiting the sick and the graves, performing the ghusl of the dead bodies and attending the janaza prayers. If this is neglected the atmosphere could become one dominated by activities, discussing others, gossiping, triviality, time wasting, bureaucracy, egoism, giving and following orders leading-to people fearing others instead of fearing Allah. An atmosphere-can be-sensed by those who interact with it, if it is incorrect it could lead to many negative perceptions which may lead to people being perceived as some type of gang a cult or only sloganeering activists rather than those who are carrying the work of the Prophets.

The sincere da'wa carrier instead of arrogantly brushing aside these perceptions would deeply contemplate the causes of it and work to rectify them. Those who encountered the atmosphere of the Sahaba or the great scholars of the past were often positively affected by it, even those who opposed the opinions of some of the Ulema would praise them for their piety and knowledge rather than scorn them.

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